1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image output apparatus for printing images, obtained by taking photographs with a digital camera or the like. The present invention also relates to an image output method and an image output program.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, as digital cameras have rapidly become popular, many users of the digital cameras transfer image data, stored in the memories of their digital cameras, to their personal computers, and print the image data with their color printers. However, if they do not have their personal computers, or if they are not familiar with such operations, it is difficult for them to print out images. Therefore, photo finish services (for example, a DPE (development, print, and enlargement) service) for printing photographs based on image data, which was output from digital still cameras, or the like, are provided.
When the users of the digital cameras use the photo finish service, they detach the memories from the camera bodies of their cameras, and take the memories to a photograph shop, which provides a photo finish service. The stored image data is read out from the memories at a terminal device of the photograph shop, and sent to a photo finish service center online. Then, images are printed on ordinary photographic paper at the photo finish service center. The print, produced at the photo finish service center, is delivered to the photograph shop, which sent the image data. In this system, a few days are required to obtain the print of the image data. One of the characteristics of the digital cameras is that the users can look at the photographs or prints of image data immediately after photography. Therefore, the amount of time required in this system is contradictory to users' expectations for fast operations.
When the users use a digital print machine, provided at a convenience store or the like, they detach the memories from the camera bodies of their cameras. Image data, stored in a recording medium, is read out at the digital print machine, and an image, represented by the image data, is printed on ordinary photographic paper at the digital print machine. The dynamic range of an image, which is represented by image data obtained by taking a photograph with a digital camera, is narrower than that of an image obtained by using a negative film. When the image is obtained with the digital camera, a part of information, such as data representing a region of the image, having brightness, which is higher than or equal to a predetermined brightness, is lost in some cases. However, the users, who request prints of images, obtained with the digital camera, expect that high-quality prints, which are similar to prints obtained from negative films, will be produced.
Therefore, the characteristics of image data as digitized data are utilized, and image processing is automatically performed on the image data to produce high quality prints, which are similar to that of photographs printed from negative films. In the image processing, processing is performed to reflect intentions of the photographers and the characteristics of each digital camera, which was used to take photographs. Image processing is performed based on a fixed light source type mode, an image processing condition (an AWB (automatic white balance) processing condition, and related processing conditions such as gradation, sharpness, and saturation), a taste of the photographer (monochrome/sepia, beautiful skin, or the like), and a photography mode (extended exposure, under exposure, or the like). Further, blur correction processing is performed by analyzing the image data and detecting a blur (an out-of-focus blur due to an unfocused focal length and a camera-shake blur due to hand movement of the photographer) in a photographed image. Then, the blur is corrected accordingly. In recent years, it has become possible to automatically detect a face, eyes, or the like in a photographed image with high accuracy. Accordingly, a method has been proposed to automatically correct images based on the detection result (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-042451).
However, when image data is automatically corrected, the image data is not always corrected to produce an image which reflects the intention of the photographer. Therefore, a method has been proposed, in which when the image data is automatically corrected, a print of the corrected image data and a print of uncorrected image data are printed, and both of the prints are given to a customer (U.S. patent application Publication No. 20020093670).
However, in the method of always giving both of the print of the corrected image data and the print of the uncorrected image data to the photographer, as described above, the number of prints increases, and printing costs increase. However, if only the image data after automatic image processing is printed, and the print is given to the photographer, it is impossible for the photographer to recognize the effect of image processing, performed on the image data.
Further, the photographer may not want image processing performed on all of the image data. In some cases, the photographer wants only image processing performed if the image processing is effective, such as red-eye correction.